Tubular rail and post fencing

ABSTRACT

Fencing of simplified construction is made up of a number of pre-formed fencing sections that are positioned in end-to-end relation and secured to each other. Each fence section includes a number of intermediate posts, a pair of end posts and a number of fence rails, all tubular. Each intermediate post is provided with a number of transverse apertures into which the rails are inserted to extend well beyond the intermediate posts. Each end post has a blind aperture that receives a corresponding end of a respective one of the rails. The rail ends are locked to and within the end posts, but the rails are snugly and slidably received in the intermediate post apertures to provide flexibility of the fence sections. One of the fence sections has one of its end posts formed as a gateway to provide a pair of mutually spaced gate posts, both of which are fixed to at least one of the rails.

United States Patent [1 1 Bright Nov. 25, 1975 1 1 TUBULAR RAIL AND POST FENCING 21 Appl. No.: 362,270

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 152,064, June 11,

1971, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 256/65; 256/59; 403/263 [51] Int. C1. E04C 3/32; E04H 17/14 [58] Field of Search 256/67, 70, 59, 24, 25, 256/26, 21, 22; 182/228; 160/135; 403/263 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 272,988 9/1963 AU 1,070,814 8/1913 Kimball 256/65 UX 1,083,346 1/1914 Adams 285/150 X 1,147,409 7/1915 Krawczyk. 256/24 1,376,150 4/1921 Mi1ler..... 256/21 UX 1,791,676 2/1931 Landine.... 160/135 X 2,118,032 5/1938 Gibson 256/24 UX 2,919,] 13 12/1959 Cofield 256/65 3,072,385 1/1963 Johnson 256/25 3,462,126 8/1969 DeMan egam. 256/65 3,722,701 3/1973 Malcik et a1 403/231 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 529,427 7/1931 Germany 256/19 254,347 9/ 1 964 Australia 272,988 9/1963 Australia 256/65 570,548 9/1958 Belgium 256/13.1

1,405,695 5/1965 France 1 1 403/263 620,135 3/1949 United Kingdom 256/21 797,813 9/1958 United Kingdom.... .1 182/228 960,290 6/1964 United Kingdom 256/59 1,089,601 11/1967 United Kingdom 256/24 201,330 [/1966 Sweden 256/25 350,980 2/1 961 Switzerland 256/21 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Gausewitz, Carr & Rothenberg ABSTRACT Fencing of simplified construction is made up of a number of pre-formed fencing sections that are positioned in end-to-end relation and secured to each other. Each fence section includes a number of intermediate posts,'a pair of end posts and a number of fence rails, all tubular. Each intermediate post is provided with a number of transverse apertures into which the rails are inserted to extend well beyond the intermediate posts. Each end post has a blind aperture that receives a corresponding end of a respective one of the rails. The rail ends are locked to and within the end posts, but the rails are snugly and slidably received in the intermediate post apertures to provide flexibility of the fence sections. One of the fence sections has one of its end posts formed as a gateway to provide a pair of mutually spaced gate posts, both of which are fixed to at least one of the rails.

US. Patent Nov.25, 1975 Sheet 1 of3 3,921,960

U.S. Patent N0v.25, 1975 Sheet20f3 3,921,960

\NVENTOE RALPH W. BKJGHT U.S. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet3 0f3 3,921,960

TUBULAR RAIL AND POST FENCING This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application for Tubular Rail and Post Fencing, Ser. No. 152,064, filed June 11, 1971, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to fencing and more particularly concerns strong, durable fence sections that are readily connected to each other and simply and conveniently fabricated for setup along lines to be fenced or as enclosures such as an animal corral.

2. Description of Prior Art Fencing of almost unlimited variety is widely used as property boundaries, as protective devices to prevent entry and as enclosures to confine animals. For use as animal enclosures, and in particular for temporary or semi-permanent installations for horse shows or rodeos, fencing is required that may be readily erected and quickly demounted for transport to another location. Yet the fencing must be strong enough to withstand the force of impact with large and often agitated animals, even after the structure has been erected and taken down many times.

In the past, fencing for these and related purposes has commonly employed a variety of constructions. Among these are rigid rails that are welded to a group of intermediate vertical posts. Although great rigidity is ob- 'tained in such a construction, excessive time, effort and expense are required for welding of each joint of rail and post. Further, rigidity inherent in the welded construction allows satisfactory erection of pre-fabricated welded fencing only upon smooth and level terrain or upon terrain that otherwise has been suitably prepared to receive the fence sections. If the terrain is uneven, or slopes in the direction of the extent of the fencing, the rigid rectangular welded construction may prevent all of the supporting posts from properly bearing on the terrain whereby strength and support of the fencing is seriously degraded.

In an attempt to avoid the time and expense of the common welded construction, and to provide additional variation in the final enclosure configuration, US. Pat. No. 3,499,631 to Heldenbrand describes a unique set of brackets that are welded to the end posts for attachment of the rails. Rail ends must be specially configured in the I-Ieldenbrand system, in addition to.

the fabrication of the specially configured end posts. Again, the corral construction of Hildenbrand suffers from complexity and cost of fabrication and, nevertheless, retains the rigid inflexibility of welded construction.

Other types of pre-formed rail and post fence construction are shown in British Pat. No. 6161 to Bayliss et al., US. Pat. No. 195,723 to Nellis, and a more recent U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,864 to Case. These patents suggest fence construction requiring complex fabrication by unique and unusual configurations of parts, or rigid construction of all posts and rails. Again, each of these arrangements lacks simplicity, ease of manufacture and flexibility to conform with varying terr-ain.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved fencing that eliminates, or substantially avoids the aboveidentified disadvantages, and provides a simplified construction that is readily fabricated and erected, combining both durability and flexibility. 1

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In carrying out principles of the present invention in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, a fence section is formed of a plurality of intermediate tubular posts having mutually spaced transverse apertures in each of which a respective one of a group of rails is snugly, but slidably supported. A pair of end posts is also formed with a group of mutually spaced apertures that respectively receive oppositely disposed corresponding ends of the rails. These rail ends are securely fixed to and within the end posts. In a preferred embodiment, the rails are not otherwise secured to the intermediate posts, but are merely supported by means of the intermediate post apertures. Alternatively, the rails may be relatively loosely secured to the intermediate posts to further limit the amount of relative motion of each rail with respect to the intermediate posts. One fence section of a group of sections that are fixedly connected together in end-to-end relation to form an enclosure may have a pair of gateposts formed at an end thereof, one of which acts as an end post of the particular fence section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of a four-sided corral employing fence sections embodying principles of the present invention; 7

FIG. 2 shows details of the interconnection of rail with end and intermediate posts, with parts broken away and parts in section;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along a rail of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section through an end post, showing one form of means for locking the rails in the end post;

FIG. 5 shows an alternative arrangement for locking rails to an intermediate post;

FIG. 6 shows a typical connection of adjoining end posts of two adjacent fence sections;

FIG. 7 shows the connection of a cap for a typical fence post;

FIGS. 8 and 9 show an alternate'arrangement for DETAILED DESCRIPTION Illustrated in FIG. 1 is an exemplary four-sided enclosure employing fence sections embodying principles of the present invention. This enclosure is shown by way of illustration only, since it will be readily appreciated that portable fence sections of this invention may be employed to make enclosures having any number of sides greater than two. Further, the fence sections of this invention may be readily erected as linear or angulated fencing of any suitable extent, limited only by the number and length of sections employed, and need not be formed as an enclosure. Nevertheless, the present invention is of a particular utility in fabrication and erection of portable corrals, and is accordingly illustrated in this configuration.

A typical fence section constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention comprises a plurality of rails 10, 11 and 12, a pair of intermediate posts 16, 18 and a pair of end posts 20 and 22. Although the typical fence section will always have but two end posts, the number of rails may be more or less than that shown, and likewise, the number of intermediate posts may be more or less than that shown. In fact, for sections of very limted extent, intermediate posts may be eliminated entirely. The size of fence section and the number of intermediate and end posts and the spacing between rails and posts are selected because of the practical considerations of available materials, sizes and lengths, ease of handling and erection and conventional practice. Thus, the illustrated fence section is 24 feet long from center line to center line of the two end posts. Intermediate posts are equally spaced between the end posts to provide an unsupported rail run of about 8 feet and the rails are spaced above the ground at 3 A; 15 and 30 inches respectively for rails 10, 11 and 12 respectively. For a five foot high fence (not shown) two additional rails are employed, spaced at 45 and 60 inches respectively, and posts are correspondingly lengthened. The bottoms of the several posts rest upon the ground or other suitable support as deemed necessary or desirable. Each post extends but an inch or two above the upper rail 12, and is provided with a cap such as cap 24, details of which are described hereinafter in connection with FIG. 7.

All of the rails and posts are made of steel pipe such as a galvanized steel tubing. As an example, without limitation, the rails may be formed of circular section galvanized steel tubing of l /8 inch outside diameter, having a wall thickness of 0.069 inches. Each of the vertical posts is formed of galvanized steel tubing of 2 Vs inch outside diameter with a wall thickness of 0.072 inches.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, each of the intermediate posts is provided with a plurality of apertures that extend transversely and entirely through the posts, such as apertures 23, 24 and 25 of post 16. These apertures are of a size to freely, but snugly receive the rails through 12. Preferably, a tolerance in the order of H32 of an inch is provided. The rails 10 through 12 are inserted into and extend entirely through the apertures of both intermediate posts, and further, extend considerably beyond the intermediate posts for connection to the end posts 20, 22.

Each of the end posts is formed with a blind aperture such as the apertures 29, 30 and 31 of end post 20. Each rail extends into a respective one of the end post apertures and terminates within the end post, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Although each rail extends freely, or relatively loosely into and through the apertures of the intermediate posts, the rails, or at least some of the rails are securely fixed to the respective end posts. Preferably, all rails within each end post are tightly locked in place by a hairpin-shaped locking rod 35, illustrated in FIG. 4. Rod 35 is formed with locking legs 36, 37 that extend substantially parallel to the axis of the end posts, extending tightly between the inner surfaces of the end posts and the outer surfaces of the rails on either side of the rails as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In order to enhance this locking action, each rail end portion is formed with a groove or indentation that substantially mates with the circular cross section locking rod legs 36, 37 respectively. Grooves 39, 40 of rail 10 and groove 41 of rail 12 are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The diameter of the circular cross section locking rod legs 36, 37, the sizes of the indentations 39, 40 and the relative sizes of rail and end post are such that the locking rod 35 is a drive fit between the interior surface of the end post and theexterior surface of the rail at the indentations thereof. To facilitate this driving and placement of the locking rods, the ends of each of legs 36, 37 are beveled, as indicated in FIG. 4 at 42, 43, whereby the hairpin locking rod 35 may be firmly and tightly wedged into place to fixedly lock all of the rails to and within the ends posts. The use of the described locking rod and groove within the rail provides an unexpectedly strong locking action when employed with an end post of circular section. Furthermore, in such an arrangement, no bowing of an end post side rail occurs as would be the case if the rail 20 were of a rectangular section. When fully assembled, bight portion 44 of the locking rod 35 is positioned just below the upper end of g the end post 20.

The indentations enhance the locking action by providing a positive stop that prevents withdrawal of the rails from their position within the apertures of the end posts. If deemed necessary or desirable, the indentations 39, 40 may be omitted and locking rod legs 36, 37 correspondingly decreased in size, whereby locking of the rails to and within the end posts will be accomplished solely by the wedging action of the rods 36, 37 that are driven into position. Of course, even without the pre-forming of indentations 39, 40 in each of the rail end portions, the driving of the rods 36, 37 into locking position will slightly deform the rail end portions to achieve the locking action. Such an arrangement of locking action without rail indentations is illustrated in FIG. 5 for an alternate form of the invention. In this form, a relatively looser securement of the rails to intermediate posts is employed. As previously indicated, no attachment of the rails to the intermediate posts is necessary for most situations, since the rails are fully and completely supported by extending entirely,

through the intermediate post apertures in a snug, but sliding engagement. Nevertheless, for some situations where it is desired to secure the rails to the intermediate posts in a relatively light, locking action, there may be employed a hairpin locking rod substantially identi-. cal to locking rod 35, and having locking legs 49, 51 that are driven into a tight wedging engagement on opposite sides of a rail 14a, to be tightly wedged between the exterior surface of the rail and the oppositely disposed interior surfaces of intermediate post 1611.

Alternatively, in order to maintain a desired angular relation of the rails and posts, a pair of plates or washers may be inserted into the ends of each intermediate post, after assembly, so as to rest against the upper surface of the top rail and against the lower surface of the bottom rail, respectively. Such washers then may be secured to the top and bottom rails by screws or the like to thereby retain overall configuration and orientation of the fence section and its parts.

Where the fence sections of the present invention are employed to form an enclosure, such as a corral, all but one of the sections are made as described above.

Accordingly, four sections are provided for a four sided enclosure, three of which are identified as 46, 48 and 50 in FIG. 1. Each of sections 46, 48 and 50 is identical to each of the others. However, the fourth section, section 52, is formed with a gate for entry and exit. Accordingly, one end post of gate section 52 is formed as first and second gateposts 54, 56 which are fixedly or integrally connected, preferably by forming the two gateposts of the same tubing as is used for the other posts, but bent into the U-shaped configuration illustrated in FIG. 1. Gatepost 56 is provided with blind apertures for all but the lowermost of the rails. Each of the blind apertures of gatepost 56 receives one of the two uppermost of the three rails of gate section 52 in the same manner as all of the blind apertures of the other end posts receive their corresponding rail end portions. However, the lowermost of the apertures formed in gatepost 56 extends entirely through the gatepost, just as do the apertures in the intermediate posts. The lowermost rail 62 of the gate section 52, extends entirely through the aperture in gatepost 56, across the bottom of the gateway formed by posts 54 and 56, and into a blind aperture in the outer gatepost 54.

In this arrangement each of the rails of the gate section 52 is locked in place by a hairpin shaped locking rod (substantially identical to rod 35) which is driven into gatepost 56 from the bottom of the post, instead of from the top as is the case with the other end posts described herein. Rail 62, even though it extends entirely through the aperture of gatepost 56, has a pair of oppositely disposed indentations formed therein in the portion of the rail that is within gatepost 56. Each of the other rails of this gate section also has its end portions formed with a pair of oppositely disposed indentations, as previously described, whereby the hairpin shaped locking rod may be firmly driven into gatepost 56 to be captured within the indentations of all of the rails and to be tightly wedged between such indentations and the oppositely disposed inner surface portions of gatepost 56. Lower gate section rail 62 extends into the blind aperture at the bottom end of the second gatepost 54, and need not normally be secured thereto. If additional strength is deemed necessary or desirable, the lower rail 62 may be also locked to and within the second gatepost 54 by a similar hairpin locking rod and rail indentations. Of course, since there is but one rail to be locked in the gatepost 54, the hairpin locking rod in this location need be of considerably lesser extent.

Except for the provision of the gateposts 54, 56 and the securement of the rails thereto, the remainder of gate section 52 is substantially the same as described in connection with the fence sections 46, 48 and 50. Gate section 52 is preferably of the same total length as each of the other fence sections, whereby the space between each of the intermediate posts and between each intermediate posts and an adjoining end post, or gatepost, will be accordingly decreased. Thus, the unsupported .length of each of the rails of gate section 52 is less than posts of adjacent sections are fixed to each other by groups of pairs of clamps, such as clamps 65, 66 that clamp the adjoining end posts of fence sections 46 and 50. As more particularly illustrated in FIG. 6, each clamp such as that for clamping together adjoining end posts 20 and 68 for example, comprises a pair of oppositely disposed substantially U-shaped straps 69, 70 that span opposite sides of each of the adjoining end posts, and have respective end portions bent to extend around the posts toward each other. A bolt 72 extends through aligned apertures in the two clamp straps 69, 70 and is securely tightened to draw the two straps together to tightly hold and clamp the two end posts therebetween. All of the other end post clamps, each positioned between adjacent fence rails, are formed substantially identically to the clamp illustrated in FIG. 6.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, each vertical post, excepting only the integrally connected gateposts 54, 56 may be formed with a detachable cap 24. Cap 24 is formed with a peripheral bent flange 74 that rests atop the end of the post 16, and includes a depending circular flange 75 that extends downwardly into the upper end of post 16. Various means well known to those skilled in the art may be employed to detachably secure the caps to the posts. Preferably, each post is apertured near its upper end to receive a sheet metal screw 76 that is threaded into flange 75 of the cap 24.

The above-described fence section construction, employing locking rods of 7/16 inch diameter cold rolled steel and clamp straps 69, 70 formed of 3/16 by l A inch steel strap for the above-described rail and post type sizes, provides a portable structure of great strength, rugged and durable, readily manufactured of basic materials and requiring only simple tooling. Nevertheless, the fence sections, particularly where no connection between intermediate posts and rails other than the intermediate post apertures is employed, exhibits a limited degree of bending and flexibility that allows the fence to deform to follow uneven or inclined terrain. The twenty-four foot lengths of the described galvanized tubing are capable of a significant amount of deformation. Thus, since these lengths of tubing only experience a limited amount of restraint at points intermediate their ends, all of the rails may bend either within or from the plane of the fence section, or may bend in some combination of these directions. Such bending is possible because of the limited amount of relative freedom of motion that is permitted in the snug but slidable joints between intermediate posts and rails. Accordingly, a 24-foot section of fence built of the material and in the dimensions described herein will readily accommodate as much as a one-foot difference in elevation between terrain at the respective ends of the fence section. Thus, all of the fence posts may contact the ground to provide increased support and strength for the fence section.

Not withstanding this relatively large degree of flexibility, the fence construction described herein is sufficient to withstand considerable abuse of impact from animals as large and larger than horses. Although the described enclosure may be totally and completely assembled in the field, including assembling each fence section in the field, it is contemplated that the several fence sections will be each prefabricated as a sub assembly of interconnected end posts, intermediate posts and rails, and the several sections shipped as a group of unconnected sections to be assembled as a complete fence at the desired location.

In assembly of each of the fence sections it is only necessary to cut the tubing to size, to drill or otherwise form the several apertures in the intermediate and end posts and to form the parallel oppositely disposed indentations in the ends of the rails. The rails are then inserted entirely through the intermediate post apertures with the intermediate posts snugly but slidably carried upon the rails. The rail ends are then inserted into the end post apertures and the hairpin locking rods are driven into place to lock the rails to the end posts. The gate section is similarly formed after bending one longer end post into the U-shaped gatepost configuration and caps are mounted upon each of the posts as deemed necessary or desirable. Preferably, the fence sections are then shipped to the location where they are erected by positioning and tightening the clamps as previously described.

Illustrated in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 is an alternate arrangement for fixing the ends of the rails within the several end posts. In this arrangement, each of the end portions of the rails, such as rail 10a, is formed with a pair of oppositely disposed grooves 80, 81 (FIG. 10) that receive the opposite sides 82, 83 of the narrowed portion of a bayonet slot 84 formed in a locking plate 85. Locking plate 85 extends substantially the full length of the end post 2021 and is inserted into the end post prior to insertion of the several rails into the apertures of the end post. Locking plate 85 has a plurality of keyholeshaped apertures like the aperture 84, each mutually spaced from the other and positioned to accept respective ones of the rail ends. The rail ends are inserted through the apertures in the end post and then into the circular portions of the keyhole apertures which are aligned with the grooves 80, 81 in the rail end portions. Locking plate 85 is then driven downwardly so that the narrowed portion 82, 83 of each of the keyhole apertures is captured within the respective grooves 80, 81, whereby each of the rails is firmly locked to and captured within the end posts.

For a closed configuration of enclosure such as illustrated in FIG. 1, it is preferred to terminate each of the rails within its associated end posts. Nevertheless, it will be readily appreciated that each of the end posts may be formed with apertures that extend entirely through the end post rather than with blind apertures as previously described. In other words, all posts, both end and intermediate, may be made exactly alike, and certain ones of a line of such posts may be selected to receive this hairpin locking rod or other locking means. In such a situation, at least one of the rails at a corner of the enclosure may then extend entirely through such end post for connection to other posts or other fence sections that are external to the described and illustrated enclosure. Of course, of both adjoining end posts of two adjacent fence sections are to have the rails thereof extending completely therethrough, then the apertures of the posts of such adjacent sections may be staggered vertically so that the rails of one of the adjacent sections will be staggered vertically with respect to the rails of the other two adjacent sections.

Still another arrangement for locking the rails in the end posts is illustrated in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, wherein a plurality of rails 110, 112 (and others, not shown) extend through spaced transverse apertures 125, 127 in an intermediate post 116 and also extend into blind ap ertures 121, 123 of an end post 120. Instead of forming grooves such as groove 40, 41 in the end portions of the rails 1 10, 112, etc., each rail is formed with an aperture 140, 141 that receives an elongated locking rod 137 that extends for substantially the entire length of the end post, or at least for a distance greater than the spacing between the uppermost and lowermost rails thereof.

Without anything more than the rod 137 and rail apertures 140, 141, assembly of the end post locking structure is extremely difficult because it is not possible to closely control the alignment or position of the innermost end of the locking rod as it is inserted into the end post. The longer the end post, the more difficult is the assembly.

In order to facilitate assembly of the locking rod 137 through the apertures of the rails and within the end post 120, a plurality of locking rod spacers 144, 146 are wedged or frictionally secured to and within the end posts. As illustrated in FIGS. l1, l2 and 13, these locking rod spacers preferably take the form of a flat body 147 having a substantially centrally positioned aperture 148 formed therein. Fixedly secured to the body 147 and extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom are gripping means, shown in FIG. 11 and 13 as a continuous upwardly and outwardly extending peripheral flange 150. Preferably, the flange 150 is formed integrally with the body 147 and the entire positioning member is formed in the illustrated dished disc configuration by a single stamping operation. The outer diameter of body portion 147 is slightly less than the inner diameter of the end post and the outer diameter of the outermost portion of flange 150 is made slightly greater than the inner diameter of the end post. For example, for use with an end post having an inside diameter slightly greater than 2 3/16 inches, the diameter of body 147 is made 2 3/16 inches and the outside diameter of flange 150 is about 2 inches. The height of flange 151) above the body is about /8 inches.

In order to hold the rod 137 in position, a suitable stop such as a nut or washer may be fixed to the rod at the upper end thereof to rest upon the upper part of rail 1 12. Conveniently, such stop is formed from one of the locking rod spacers 136 which is welded or otherwise fixed to the rod 137. The other spacers are not fixed to the locking rod, acting merely to guide the penetration of the rod into the end post and properly space the rod (and, therefore, the rail ends) within the end post. It is preferred to employ one spacer for each rail end, positioned adjacent each rail receiving end post aperture. Nevertheless, the number and location of spacers may be varied without departing from principles of the invention. i

In assembly of the locking means, the spacers 144, 146 are emplaced before the rails are assembled to the posts. The post is firmly held in any convenient position such as in an upright position with the lower end against the ground for example. A first one of the spacers is placed on top of the upper opening of the post so that the body portion 147 drops slightly below the upper edge of the post and the outermost edges of the flange 150 just retain the positioning member atop the post. A ram in the form of a rod having a diameter just 1 less than the diameter of body 147 is then employed to drive the spacer axially of the post to a position just below the lowermost rail receiving aperture, such as post aperture 123, for example. As the spacer is driven into the post, its outwardly extending flange is inwardly deformed to securely grip the inner surface of the post. This step is then repeated with a second spacer, which is driven to and within the post to a position just below the next higher rail receiving aperture. These steps are repeated for each spacer to be employed in the post. After the spacers are securely placed within the post,

the rails are inserted through the apertures 121, 123,

etc., and the rails are twisted until the rail apertures 140, 141 are mutually aligned and are aligned with each other and the axis of the post. Then locking rod 137 (with spacer 136 fixed thereto) is inserted from the top of the post (as viewed in FIG. 11) through the rail apertures 140, 141 and also through the apertures in the spacers 144, 146. If necessary, the rails may be twisted as necessary to assure alignment of the rail apertures 140, 141. A major function of the spacers is to align and position the rod 135 centrally and axially of the end post during the insertion of the locking rod. Unless the locking rod 135 is firmly positioned within the end post at a point relatively close to the top of the post, it is difficult to manipulate the lower end of the rod so as to insert it through the apertures in the ends of lower ones of the several rails. Spacer 136, which is fixed to rod 137, is positioned closer to the top of the post at a point above the uppermost rail 1 12 so as to cooperate with the uppermost spacer 144 illustrated in FIG. 11. It is relatively easy to manipulate the locking rod 137 for insertion through the apertures adjacent that end from which the locking rod is being inserted. The problem of finding the several rail apertures increases as the distance of such apertures from the upper end of the post (e.g. the point at which the rod 135 may be held and manipulated) increases. The use of the described spacers substantially eliminates this problem.

Although the dished disc form of spacer is shown in FIG. 11 and preferred in actual practice, it will be readily appreciated that the other holding means may be fixed to or integrally formed upon the apertured body 147 in order to frictionally grip the inner surface of the end post and thus fixedly retain the spacer in position. For example, the body 147 may be made with a plurality of serrations or teeth of a diameter sufficient to ensure a tight frictional engagement of the guide and spacer as it is rammed into place. The spacer need not have a circular shape, but may be rectangular, or may have more than four straight sides, with the several corners bent up to form an obtuse angle with the body.

The material from which the spacers are made may be widely varied as long as the spacers are relatively rigid and have some degree of resilience or resistance to deformation. Thus, the discs may be stamped or formed out of various types of sheet metal, metal strap or plastic. The axial position of the spacer with respect to the post is of relatively little significance as long as at least one of the guide spacers is positioned near that end of the post from which the locking rod is inserted. The spacers do not necessarily have to be located at or adjacent the rail receiving apertures of the post.

The spacers illustrated in FIGS. ll, 12 and 13 not only facilitate assembly, but also provide increased stability and rigidity of the connections of the rails to the end post. Disassembly is also facilitated since it is only necessary to withdraw the locking rod from each end post and then withdraw the rails. All of the spacers (except that which is affixed to the rod) will remain within the end post and thus facilitate re-assembly.

There have been described methods and apparatus for fabricating and erecting simple but sturdy fencing wherein a simple apertured arrangement of circular or rectangular cross section posts is employed to receive and support pipe rails that are suitably locked to and within end posts. The arrangement provides increased flexibility to conform to uneven or sloping terrain, and also affords decreased cost of fabrication and assembly.

10 The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of this invention being limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fence section comprising:

a plurality of mutually spaced intermediate tubular posts, each said post having a number of mutually spaced transverse apertures extending completely therethrough,

a plurality of continuous tubular rails, each rail extending freely through corresponding apertures in all of said intermediate posts, and each said rail extending substantially beyond both sides of said intermediate posts for connection to an end post,

first and section tubular end posts respectively positioned at opposite sides of said fence section, each said end post having an aperture therein corresponding to a like aperture in an adjacent one of said intermediate posts,

said apertures in said end posts receiving portions of respective ones of said rails that extend beyond an intermediate post,

each said rail being a close but sliding fit within its 7 corresponding apertures in each of said intermediate and end posts, whereby said fence section, at least in and about the intermediate posts, is relatively flexible and will readily deform to accomodate uneven ground contour by experiencing limited motion between said intermediate posts and the rails that are supported thereby and moveably extend therethrough, means for securing at least some of said rails to said end posts, at least one of said end posts comprising first and second fixedly interconnected gate posts mutually spaced from each other along the extent of said fence section,

said first gate post having said end post apertures therein for receiving said rails, one of the apertures of said first gate post that is positioned near-one end thereof, being formed completely through said first gate post and having one of said rails extending entirely therethrough towards said second gate post, said second gate post having an aperture in one side thereof receiving said one rail,

said means for securing said rails to said end posts comprising means for locking at least some of said rails to said first gate post, and means for locking said one rail to said second gate post. 2. The fence section of claim 1 including closure means moveably mounted to one of said first and second fixedly interconnected gate posts.

3. A corral comprising:

a plurality of portable fence sections and at least one fence section of the type set forth in claim 1, all of said fence sections being arranged in end to end relation to form a continuous enclosure, and means for securing each end post of one section to an adjacent end post of another section.

4. The corral of claim 3 wherein said means for securing end posts of one section to end posts of another section comprises first and second U-shaped strap members disposed on respectively opposite sides of adjoining end posts of adjacent fence sections, and

1 1 fastening means for securing said first and second strap members to each other to tightly clamp adjacent posts therebetween.

5. Fencing comprising a plurality of portable fence sections and at least one portable fence section of the type set forth in claim 1, all of said fence sections being arranged to form a continuous enclosure, and each of the end posts of all of said sections being fixed to an adjoining end post of an adjacent section.

6. A fence section comprising:

a plurality of mutually spaced intermediate tubular posts,

each said post having a number of mutually spaced transverse apertures extending completely therethrough,

a plurality of continuous tubular rails,

each rail extending freely through corresponding apertures in all of said intermediate posts, and each said rail extending substantially beyond both sides of said intermediate posts for connection to an end post,

first and second tubular end posts respectively positioned at opposite sides of said fence section,

each said end post having an aperture therein corresponding to a like aperture in an adjacent one of said intermediate posts,

said apertures in said end posts receiving portions of respective ones of said rails that extend beyond an intermediate post,

each said rail beinga close but sliding fit within its corresponding apertures in each of said intermediate and end posts, whereby said fence section, at least in and about the intermediate posts, is relatively flexible and will readily deform to accommodate uneven ground contour by experiencing limited motion between said intermediate posts and the rails that are supported thereby and movably extend therethrough, and means for securing said rails to one of said end posts, said means for securing said rails to said one end post comprising an aperture in each of said rails, said apertures being mutually aligned with each other and with the axis of said one end post, a locking rod within said one end post and extendingthrough the apertures of at least a pair of said rails, and at least one rail spacer wedged to and within said one end post between the rails of said pair, said spacer having an aperture receiving said locking rod.

7. The fence section of claim 6 including a second spacer wedged to and within said end post at a position axially spaced from said first-mentioned spacer, said second spacer having an aperture extending therethrough in alignment with the aperture in said firstmentioned spacer, said locking rod extending through the aperture of said second spacer.

8. The fence section of claim 6 wherein said spacer comprises an apertured body and gripping means extending outwardly therefrom in gripping engagement with the inner surface of said end post.

9. A fence section comprising:

a plurality of mutually spaced intermediate tubular posts,

each said post having a number of mutually spaced transverse apertures extending completely therethrough,

a plurality of continuous tubular rails,

each rail extending freely through corresponding apertures in all of said intermediate posts, and

12 each said rail extending substantially beyond both sides of said intermediate posts for connection to an end post,

first and second tubular end posts respectively positioned at opposite sides of said fence section, each said end post having an aperture therein corresponding to a like aperture in an adjacent one of said intermediate posts, said apertures in said end posts receiving portions of respective ones of said rails that extend beyond an intermediate post, each said rail being a close but sliding fit within its corresponding apertures in each of said intermediate and end posts, whereby said fence section, at least in and about the intermediate posts, is relatively flexible and will readily deform to accommodate uneven ground contour by experi-I encing limited motion between said intermediate posts and the rails that are supported thereby and movably extend therethrough, and means for securing said rails to one of said end posts, said means for securing said rails to said one end post comprising a plurality of spacers driven into said one end post between at least some of said rails, said spacers having apertures mutually aligned with each other and with the axis of said one end post and each having outwardly extending holding means in gripping engagement with the inner surface of said one end post, and a locking rod extending through each rail and through each aperture in said spacer member.

10. A portable fence section comprising:

a plurality of tubular rails,

a plurality of tubular intermediate posts, each having a plurality of transverse apertures extending completely therethrough, and each receiving snugly, but slidably, respective ones of said rails without any further interconnection between rails ancl posts, a pair of end posts each having a plurality of apertures snugly receiving a corresponding end portion of respective rails, and

means for fixing said rails to both of said end posts, said means for fixing said rails to both of said end posts comprising apertures formed in ends of respective rails, a plurality of spacers driven into respective end posts and frictionally retained therein between at least some of said rails, and a locking rod extending within each end post through apertures of said rails and through apertures of said spacers.

11. The fence section of claim 10 wherein at least some of said spacers comprise an apertured dished disc wedged to and within one of said end posts.

12. Fencing comprising:

a plurality of mutually spaced apertured posts,

a plurality of mutually spaced rails each extending through corresponding apertures in a plurality of said posts, and

means for locking at least some of said rails in at least one of said posts, said means for locking comprismg tions of said rails within said one post,

at least one spacer wedged to and within said one post between at least some of said rails, said spacer having an aperture extending therethrough in alignment with the apertures of said rails, and a locking rod extending through said one post through the apertures of said rails, and

an aperture formed in and extending through por- 13 through the aperture of said spacer.

13. The fencing of claim 12 wherein said spacer comprises an apertured body driven into said one end post, said spacer having outwardly extending holding means in forced gripping engagement with the inner surface of said one post.

14. The fencing of claim 13 wherein said spacer comprises a dished disc having a continuous integral flange extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom, said flange comprising said holding means, a plurality of said dished discs being driven into said end post to forcibly deform the flanges thereof and fixedly retain the discs in position within the end post.

15. Fencing comprising:

a plurality of mutually spaced apertured posts,

a plurality of mutually spaced rails each extending through corresponding apertures in a plurality of said posts, and

means for locking at least some of said rails in at least one of said posts, said means for locking comprismg an aperture formed in and extending through portions of said rails within said one post, at least one spacer wedged to and within said one post, said spacer comprising an apertured body having flange means bent up to form an obtuse angle with the body, said flange means being inwardly deformed to securely grip said post and wedge said spacer in position, and

a locking rod extending through said one post, through the apertures of said rails, and through the aperture of said spacer,

16. The fencing of claim 15 including a plurality of said spacers, one of said spacers being positioned entirely within said one post between said rails, and another of said spacers being fixed to an end of said locking rod.

17. The fencing of claim 15 wherein said flange means comprises at least first and second oppositely disposed flange sections extending upwardly and outwardly from opposite portions of said body and being spaced from one another in normal unstressed condition by a distance greater than the internal dimension of said one post, said spacer being driven into said one post to thereby inwardly deflect said flange sections and wedge said spacer in position.

18. The fencing of claim 17 wherein said body has a dimension between said flange sections slightly less than the comparable inner dimension of said one post. =l 

1. A fence section comprising: a plurality of mutually spaced intermediate tubular posts, each said post having a number of mutually spaced transverse apertures extending completely therethrough, a plurality of continuous tubular rails, each rail extending freely through corresponding apertures in all of said intermediate posts, and each said rail extending substantially beyond both sides of said intermediate posts for connection to an end post, first and section tubular end posts respectively positioned at opposite sides of said fence section, each said end post having an aperture therein corresponding to a like aperture in an adjacent one of said intermediate posts, said apertures in said end posts receiving portions of respective ones of said rails that extend beyond an intermediate post, each said rail being a close but sliding fit within its corresponding apertures in each of said intermediate and end posts, whereby said fence section, at least in and about the intermediate posts, is relatively flexible and will readily deform to accomodate uneven ground contour by experiencing limited motion between said intermediate posts and the rails that are supported thereby and moveably extend therethrough, means for securing at least some of said rails to said end posts, at least one of said end posts comprising first and second fixedly interconnected gate posts mutually spaced from each other along the extent of said fence section, said first gate post having said end post apertures therein for receiving said rails, one of the apertures oF said first gate post that is positioned near one end thereof, being formed completely through said first gate post and having one of said rails extending entirely therethrough towards said second gate post, said second gate post having an aperture in one side thereof receiving said one rail, said means for securing said rails to said end posts comprising means for locking at least some of said rails to said first gate post, and means for locking said one rail to said second gate post.
 2. The fence section of claim 1 including closure means moveably mounted to one of said first and second fixedly interconnected gate posts.
 3. A corral comprising: a plurality of portable fence sections and at least one fence section of the type set forth in claim 1, all of said fence sections being arranged in end to end relation to form a continuous enclosure, and means for securing each end post of one section to an adjacent end post of another section.
 4. The corral of claim 3 wherein said means for securing end posts of one section to end posts of another section comprises first and second U-shaped strap members disposed on respectively opposite sides of adjoining end posts of adjacent fence sections, and fastening means for securing said first and second strap members to each other to tightly clamp adjacent posts therebetween.
 5. Fencing comprising a plurality of portable fence sections and at least one portable fence section of the type set forth in claim 1, all of said fence sections being arranged to form a continuous enclosure, and each of the end posts of all of said sections being fixed to an adjoining end post of an adjacent section.
 6. A fence section comprising: a plurality of mutually spaced intermediate tubular posts, each said post having a number of mutually spaced transverse apertures extending completely therethrough, a plurality of continuous tubular rails, each rail extending freely through corresponding apertures in all of said intermediate posts, and each said rail extending substantially beyond both sides of said intermediate posts for connection to an end post, first and second tubular end posts respectively positioned at opposite sides of said fence section, each said end post having an aperture therein corresponding to a like aperture in an adjacent one of said intermediate posts, said apertures in said end posts receiving portions of respective ones of said rails that extend beyond an intermediate post, each said rail being a close but sliding fit within its corresponding apertures in each of said intermediate and end posts, whereby said fence section, at least in and about the intermediate posts, is relatively flexible and will readily deform to accommodate uneven ground contour by experiencing limited motion between said intermediate posts and the rails that are supported thereby and movably extend therethrough, and means for securing said rails to one of said end posts, said means for securing said rails to said one end post comprising an aperture in each of said rails, said apertures being mutually aligned with each other and with the axis of said one end post, a locking rod within said one end post and extending through the apertures of at least a pair of said rails, and at least one rail spacer wedged to and within said one end post between the rails of said pair, said spacer having an aperture receiving said locking rod.
 7. The fence section of claim 6 including a second spacer wedged to and within said end post at a position axially spaced from said first-mentioned spacer, said second spacer having an aperture extending therethrough in alignment with the aperture in said first-mentioned spacer, said locking rod extending through the aperture of said second spacer.
 8. The fence section of claim 6 wherein said spacer comprises an apertured body and gripping means extending outwardly therefrom in gripping engagement with the inner surface of said eNd post.
 9. A fence section comprising: a plurality of mutually spaced intermediate tubular posts, each said post having a number of mutually spaced transverse apertures extending completely therethrough, a plurality of continuous tubular rails, each rail extending freely through corresponding apertures in all of said intermediate posts, and each said rail extending substantially beyond both sides of said intermediate posts for connection to an end post, first and second tubular end posts respectively positioned at opposite sides of said fence section, each said end post having an aperture therein corresponding to a like aperture in an adjacent one of said intermediate posts, said apertures in said end posts receiving portions of respective ones of said rails that extend beyond an intermediate post, each said rail being a close but sliding fit within its corresponding apertures in each of said intermediate and end posts, whereby said fence section, at least in and about the intermediate posts, is relatively flexible and will readily deform to accommodate uneven ground contour by experiencing limited motion between said intermediate posts and the rails that are supported thereby and movably extend therethrough, and means for securing said rails to one of said end posts, said means for securing said rails to said one end post comprising a plurality of spacers driven into said one end post between at least some of said rails, said spacers having apertures mutually aligned with each other and with the axis of said one end post and each having outwardly extending holding means in gripping engagement with the inner surface of said one end post, and a locking rod extending through each rail and through each aperture in said spacer member.
 10. A portable fence section comprising: a plurality of tubular rails, a plurality of tubular intermediate posts, each having a plurality of transverse apertures extending completely therethrough, and each receiving snugly, but slidably, respective ones of said rails without any further interconnection between rails and posts, a pair of end posts each having a plurality of apertures snugly receiving a corresponding end portion of respective rails, and means for fixing said rails to both of said end posts, said means for fixing said rails to both of said end posts comprising apertures formed in ends of respective rails, a plurality of spacers driven into respective end posts and frictionally retained therein between at least some of said rails, and a locking rod extending within each end post through apertures of said rails and through apertures of said spacers.
 11. The fence section of claim 10 wherein at least some of said spacers comprise an apertured dished disc wedged to and within one of said end posts.
 12. Fencing comprising: a plurality of mutually spaced apertured posts, a plurality of mutually spaced rails each extending through corresponding apertures in a plurality of said posts, and means for locking at least some of said rails in at least one of said posts, said means for locking comprising an aperture formed in and extending through portions of said rails within said one post, at least one spacer wedged to and within said one post between at least some of said rails, said spacer having an aperture extending therethrough in alignment with the apertures of said rails, and a locking rod extending through said one post through the apertures of said rails, and through the aperture of said spacer.
 13. The fencing of claim 12 wherein said spacer comprises an apertured body driven into said one end post, said spacer having outwardly extending holding means in forced gripping engagement with the inner surface of said one post.
 14. The fencing of claim 13 wherein said spacer comprises a dished disc having a continuous integral flange extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom, said flange comprising sAid holding means, a plurality of said dished discs being driven into said end post to forcibly deform the flanges thereof and fixedly retain the discs in position within the end post.
 15. Fencing comprising: a plurality of mutually spaced apertured posts, a plurality of mutually spaced rails each extending through corresponding apertures in a plurality of said posts, and means for locking at least some of said rails in at least one of said posts, said means for locking comprising an aperture formed in and extending through portions of said rails within said one post, at least one spacer wedged to and within said one post, said spacer comprising an apertured body having flange means bent up to form an obtuse angle with the body, said flange means being inwardly deformed to securely grip said post and wedge said spacer in position, and a locking rod extending through said one post, through the apertures of said rails, and through the aperture of said spacer.
 16. The fencing of claim 15 including a plurality of said spacers, one of said spacers being positioned entirely within said one post between said rails, and another of said spacers being fixed to an end of said locking rod.
 17. The fencing of claim 15 wherein said flange means comprises at least first and second oppositely disposed flange sections extending upwardly and outwardly from opposite portions of said body and being spaced from one another in normal unstressed condition by a distance greater than the internal dimension of said one post, said spacer being driven into said one post to thereby inwardly deflect said flange sections and wedge said spacer in position.
 18. The fencing of claim 17 wherein said body has a dimension between said flange sections slightly less than the comparable inner dimension of said one post. 